WELCOME TO WEEK 4

Have you ever made a mistake? Have you ever done something wrong on purpose? We have all done things we should not have done whether on purpose or on accident. Sometimes we want to keep it a secret so no one else will know. God wants to know even the bad things that we do because He loves us! This week we will see what God does with our mistakes.

Psalm 32 1 John 1:9

BIBLE STORY

Have you ever made a mistake? We all make mistakes even when we try really hard not to. Today, I am going to make some mistakes and I want to see if you can figure out what my mistakes are. Listen to these statements and tell me if it is true or false. If it is false, I have made a mistake and you have to correct my mistake.

-Mississippi is spelled M-I-S-S-I-S-I-P-P-I

-Buenas Dias in Spanish means Good night (Good morning)

-There is a real bridge in London called the London Bridge

-There are 55 stars on the USA Flag (50 Stars)

-The Rocky Mountains are in Colorado

-In USA currency there is a $2, $3, $5, $20, $50 & $100 bill (no $3 bill)

-Veterans Day is always the 2 Monday in November (Always November 11)

-Panama is located in Central America

Were you able to catch all of the mistake statements? Were you able to correct them all? We all make mistakes. Sometimes our mistakes are little, sometimes they are big mistakes, sometimes we make bad choices on purpose. Our mistakes are called sins, and everyone sins. This week we are learning about confession and forgiveness. It is important for us to acknowledge our sins, our mistakes, and ask God to forgive them, and he will!

Let’s read Psalm 32 and see what the Psalmist says about what God wants to do with our sins.

Read or listen to the scripture Psalm 32

Who write Psalm 32? (David)

What is this Psalm about? (Forgiveness)

How does the Psalmist describe how someone feels when they’ve been forgiven? (Joyful)

How does the Psalmist describe the feeling of when he kept silent? (His bones were brittle, God’s hand was heavy)

What do you think he means when he says his bones were brittle?

When does the Psalmist say we should pray to God? (Any time)

Why does David describe God as his hiding place? (Because God is his protection and his Deliverer)

BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY

This week we learned that we all mistakes and sometimes we do wrong things on purpose. Even though we are not perfect, God loves us just the way we are. We can be sure that we are forgiven when we confess our sins, or wrongdoings. When God forgives us he does not remind us of our sins later on, nor does he keep track of how many times we make the same mistakes. God loves you!

Activity

Let’s play a game. I have some candy here that I‘m going to throw to you, and as much candy as you catch, you can keep. But first, I have this luggage that you need to hold first. (Fill their hands and arms with as much luggage as they can carry. Be sure their arms, hands and shoulders have luggage.) Okay, now catch what you can! How much candy did you catch? Not much right? Your hands were full and you were weighed down by all the bags. Our sins can do that to us. We carry around the things we’ve done wrong, our sins, and they weigh us down. God wants us to get rid of that weight and be forgiven. We do that by confessing our sins and allowing God to forgive us. Let’s try the game again. This time without the luggage and you can keep the candy you catch!

Materials: Several luggage bags, candy

Alternate

Think about some of your sins and mistakes that you have made. Write each sin on a different colored square paper. Glue your sins to the cut-out cross, placing the glue on the written side (sins will not show). Place each square paper on the cross until the cross is covered in patchwork of colored paper. When we sin and confess our sins, God forgives us. Our sins are covered by Jesus death on the cross. He died so that we might be forgiven.

Materials: Printed cross, small squares of colored construction paper, glue, scissors

Independent activity:

Disappearing sins. Create a list of your sins and write them on a coffee filter using washable markers. Then use a dropper to add drops of water slowly. Watch how the words begin to disappear and blend to make a beautiful array of colors.

Materials: Paper coffee filter, washable markers, water dropper or spray bottle

ARTS & CAFTS

CRAFT 1

Create a forgiving tree. Trace your chid’s handprint and a part of their arm using brown construction paper, to create a tree trunk and branches. Cut out the tree and glue it to a piece of construction paper. Then cut out leaves using different colored construction paper. Glue some of the leaves on the trees and some of the leaves on the ground. Have your child write, or tell you, how they feel when they are forgiven (joyful, clean, peaceful, etc.). Write their sins that have been forgiven on the leaves at the bottom of the tree. When God forgives our sins He does not hold on to them and remind us of them later on. They are gone, just like leaves that fall from a tree that blow away. 

Materials: Construction paper in various colors including brown, scissors, glue, pencil 

Craft 2

Coloring page

Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons

FOLLOW-UP

What is sin?

Why is it important to confess our sins?

Have you ever confessed your sins?

How did you feel after your confession?

How do you know God has forgiven your sin?

Do you think there is a sin you can do that will be too great for God to forgive?

Have you ever had to offer forgiveness to someone who wronged you?

Is it easy or hard to forgive others?

How is knowing that you are forgiven for your sins by God, help you to forgive others who wrong you?

Practical Application at Home

Read 1John 1:9. It says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 

The scripture didn’t say He would forgive us of our small sins, or the ones that don’t hurt others. It says that He will forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us of our unrighteousness. We can trust that God forgives us when we confess to Him. God already knows our sins, but when we acknowledge or confess that sin to Him, we are admitting our wrong and desire to change. Let’s do the following activity to show how God forgives us of our sin and also cleans us so that it is forgotten.

NOTE: ADULT NEEDED for this demonstration. This demonstration uses bleach that should be handled by an adult. Use safety measures including gloves, mask and goggles to ensure safety.

Fill a small glass container with water and several drops of food coloring. This coloring represents our sins. When we ask to be forgiven, God will forgive and cleanse us. Using a dropper filled with bleach, squeeze several drops of bleach into the water. Notice the water has changed from a color to being clear! God can wash away our sins and restore us to His righteousness. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and purify us. 

Additional Resources

Outings to Reinforce Lesson

Go to a park and spend time in worship and prayer. Ask God to show you ways to trust him and listen to his voice.